First Wigeon returns

Light variable wind settled to west by the afternoon. High cloud in the morning sunny spells increasing in length throughout the day.

First, an apology. Yesterday, for some inexplicable reason, I originally posted Rochdale as the location for Doreen's funeral. It is actually Reading. Very sorry if I caused any confusion - Malcolm

Middleton Nature Reserve 

I did a thorough check of the oaks near the top car park and gun club, but couldn't find the Purple Hairstreak (MD).

But there was plenty going on, there were, at least

Swallow 16

House Martin 4

Swift 6

Feeding over the main pond.

Insects included

Emperor 2

Brown Hawker 1

Common Darter several 

Meadow Brown several 

Gatekeeper several 

Speckled Wood 4

Large White 2

Common Blue 5

Peacock 1

Green-Veined White 2

Brimstone 1 male

Janet also checked the same area and took some excellent shots:

Swallows

House Martin 

Male Common Darter

Female Common Blue

Male Brimstone 

Heysham skear, low water 15:20 (MD)

Shag 1 x 2nd calendar year waiting on a Honeycomb worm colony for the tide to start running.

Great Crested Grebe 7 - this one flew off, giving a nice view of their unique flight.

Wigeon 1 male in eclipse - I was pleased with this, as I actually saw it fly in high from the east before landing just north of the skear.

It immediately waddled up the sand bar, sat down and tucked its head under its wing and didn't move again till the tide rudely awoke it. Even then it thought about having another snooze. I got the impression that it had flown some distance.

It eventually flew off towards the south side, possibly estuary bound.

Waders - as well as the Oystercatcher, Curlew, Redshank and Turnstone there were

Ringed Plover 8

Dunlin 3

South wall (MD)

Just an evening stroll as far as the outflows and back.

Whimbrel 1

Redshank 50+

Turnstone 6

Dunlin 11

Turnstone, Redshank and Dunlin, about to be displaced from No.1 outflow

Sad news.

We have been notified by her family that Doreen Carman passed away 18th July. She was in the process of moving to Reading when she took ill, so the funeral will be at Reading, 18th August.

Very sad news.  Doreen carried out butterfly censuses at Heysham NR for many years and provided many bird records .

She was a lovely, gentle person with such a keen interest in birds and butterflies.

It doesn't seem right to complete today's post, but Doreen was a regular post reader and she would not want it interrupted.

The west wind continues largely overcast with sunny spells.

Just my stuff from the south shore (MD)

Little Egret 4

Linnet just 2 each on saltmarsh and near lighthouse 

Rock Pipit 3

Mediterranean gull 4 adult 1 juvenile 

Cormorant juveniles are arriving 

Juvenile Cormorant, still expecting to be fed

Adult Cormorant on one of the harbour platforms 

It wasn't particularly warm, but there were still a few butterflies in the Nature Park

Peacock 1

Common Blue 2

Speckled Wood 4

Meadow Brown 2

Gatekeeper 2 both very worn.

Worn Gatekeeper 

There was a juvenile Sparrowhawk on the guy ropes of the large anemometer. 

Juvenile Sparrowhawk 

It was being shouted at by a Magpie and Goldfinches. At the end of this clip you can see two Goldfinch on the guy rope above it.

Tanaid tops the bill......I know, exciting isn't it!

Light west wind, overcast, but dry morning with sunny spells in the afternoon.

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Ringing report from John

Two nets set at Middleton this morning. In breezy conditions only five birds caught in first two hours. Additional net set, with a final total of twenty-one birds. Which comprised:

Willow Warbler              x5

Whitethroat                    x4

Cettis Warbler              x3

Lesser Whitethroat         x2

Bluetit                             x2

Grasshopper Warbler  x1

Blackcap                        x1     

Long-tailed Tit                x1    

Chiffchaff                        x1    

Wren                              x1 

Other than John's ringing there is only my stuff, and "stuff", was pretty thin on the ground today (MD)

South shore 09:00 ebbing tide.

Linnet 21 on saltmarsh edge, plus another 6 along foreshore.

The saltmarsh Linnets boosted by the arrival of at least two families of
newly fledged birds. The down covered bird above was typical.

Rock Pipits 7 - 2+1 on foreshore, 3 battling on Red Nab and one near wooden jetty.

Mediterranean gulls 4. There were three juvenile feeding on the outflows. I'd timed my walk to watch the tide near jetty become exposed. But only one adult Med turned up (the metal ringed bird)

At the start of this clip it regurgitates a pellet. It seems to have left a nasty taste as it spent the next few minutes washing its bill.

Common gull 1 juvenile on No.2 outflow

Heysham skear - low water 12:30

Very little showing here today too.

Little Egret 6

Great Crested Grebe 4

No Eider

Only waders were: Oystercatcher, Curlew, Redshank and Turnstone 

So, we are down to crustacea!

I've seen these centipede like creatures for many years, but I've never been able to identify them properly. I believe them to be a Tanaid, but Wikipedia tells me there are 940 species. Even so, this c3cm species appears to be common in the bay, and reasonably striking, you'd think I'd at least be able to find a photograph somewhere. This clip is in a small rock pool.

They never seem to make any effort to hide from predators. I normally see them drifting with the current in open water, just a few centimetres below the surface and easily visible to fish and birds alike. And I only noticed this one as I walked through its pool, and it made no attempt to hide. This type of behaviour is normally associated with fowl tasting creatures, but there is no marine equivalent of Ragwort to obtain toxins, that I am aware of.

If anyone knows more of this creature, I would be very interested - Malcolm

Worn (butterflies) and Tern

WNW wind, heavy showers early morning, then high cloud and sunny spells.

South shore

I had walk along the wall early morning after a heavy shower, hoping it had grounded something, but nothing different (MD)

Rock Pipit 4 - 3 together near foreshore slipway plus 1 on Red Nab.

Linnet 9 - 2 on foreshore, 3 Red Nab and 4 near the lighthouse 

Mediterranean gull 13 (10 adult, 1 x 2nd calendar year, 2 juvenile) on the beach near wooden jetty most near the waterline.

Mediterranean gulls - 2 adult top and a 2nd calendar year bottom 

Adult and juvenile Mediterranean gull

Common gull 2 juvenile on No.1 outflow

Pete had a scan from Ocean Edge mid morning

Presumably, adult Common Tern distant between the seaward end of No.1 outflow and the shipping lane

Plus 6 Meds visible from here, these will be additional to the jetty beach birds.

This metal ringed Black-Headed gull was on the platforms in the harbour. Its characters easily read, unfortunately only three clearly on view today. Pete advises that it is a foreign ring. Hopefully it will hang around and eventually reveal all the characters. If you see it please read what you can and let ether me or Pete know. Even one character may be a new piece of the jigsaw.

Black-Headed gull with a readable metal ring

Middleton Nature Reserve (MD)

Mute swan - pair with 7 now quite well grown cygnets 

Coot 1

Moorhen 3

Mallard - just one female seen.

Gadwall 2 juvenile on Tim Butler pond, they look a little large to be the two previously seen on the "no swimming" pond

Stock Dove 1 flew north

Sparrowhawk - plaintive calls from the wood behind Tradebe, presumably emanating from a juvenile as they stopped briefly after a visit from an adult.

No warblers were singing, but a few glimpsed.

Silent Chiffchaff 

Dragonflies:

Emperor 3

Black-Tailed Skimmer 1 male on the main pond

Brown Hawker 2

Common Darter lots, but most away from the ponds.

Butterflies, plenty of species, but apart from gatekeepers not many individuals 

Gatekeeper everywhere, but all looking quite faded

Meadow Brown 10+

Speckled Wood 5

Common Blue 2

Large White 2

Small White 1

Green-veined White 2

Comma 1

Peacock 1

Red Admiral 1

Large Skipper 1 looking very worn

Worn Large Skipper

Tern hangs around

WNW fresh wind, high clouds with plenty of sunny spells.

Heysham Nature Reserve 

These nice shots from Kevin:

Female Brimstone 

Small Copper - they have been scarce this year

Male Common Darter

South Shore on rising tide just after lunch (MD)

Mediterranean gulls 7 - I was hoping to watch the tide bring them close to the sea wall on the beach near wooden jetty, but as I was arriving they were already flying off, even though the tide was still well out. Six adults flew from the beach and a juvenile was feeding on No.1 outflows. Red Nab not checked.

Common gulls 3 juvenile also feeding on the outflows, making identifying juvenile Meds a bit more difficult.

Juvenile Common gull - upper wing pattern similar to juvenile Mediterranean
gull but underwing markings different to the clean underwing of juvenile Meds.

Mediterranean gull juvenile. A terrible shot, sorry, but it does show the clean underwing.
And, of course, the face is different.

Common Tern 1 adult feeding on No.2 outflow. Much easier to see when the shimmering sea isn't behind them.

Common Tern

Even so, I couldn't keep it in frame for long. This clip is on my way out, when not many gulls were feeding.

By the time I was heading back, there was a lot more competition for food.

Whimbrel 1 on Red Nab

Rock Pipit 1 on Red Nab

In the Nature Park

Butterflies:

Red Admiral 2

Meadow Brown 6

Common Blue 2

Large White 2

Small White 1

Dragonflies:

Emperor 1

Brown Hawker 1

Common Darter 2

This young Blue Tit seemed to be finding plenty of small insects on the weed of the newt pond. There are also at least eleven water snails zipping around.

Adult's turn

West wind with plenty of cloud cover, but occasional sunny spells.

Heysham skear - low water 10:10 (MD)

Shag 1 2nd calendar year feeding on the north side.

Classic Shag leaping dive

Great Crested Grebe 3

Eider just 3 adult female - no sign of the juvenile creche 

Little Egret 6

Waders. Oystercatcher, Curlew, Redshank, Turnstone plus 11 Dunlin

South shore (MD)

Mediterranean gulls - just 3 juveniles seen feeding on the outflows, Red Nab not checked

Common Tern 1 adult alternating between the two outflows. This was early afternoon and the sun was shining off the sea, making seeing very difficult. The best place to watch was through the structure of No.2 outflow which blocked out the glare.

Unfortunately, it was very mobile and not visible here long. I eventually managed a couple of better shots.

Adult Common Tern

I just had a quick look in the evening, no sign of the tern, but two Peregrine Falcons were hanging on the wind. Not great shots as the light was above them.

Adult Peregrine Falcon 

Juvenile Peregrine Falcon 

The juvenile was honing its skills by chasing the gulls.

Towards the end of this short clip, the juvenile does a back flip, a manoeuvre used when catching small waders.

Some birds of interest, but hard won.

 A strong SW wind, some showers but largely dry with some sunny spells by the afternoon and evening.

South Shore

Early morning check by Shaun:

05:30-07:30. 

Common Scoter 4 out, close in. 

'Resident' Shag on wooden jetty. 

Mediterranean Gull 10 adults/3cy and 8 x 1cy. 

I had a look on the ebbing tide in the afternoon (MD)

Common Tern 2 juvenile  - they flew east together out from the sea wall, they didn't go to the, otherwise busy, No.2 outflow presumably continued towards the estuary. Photography not easy as looking into the light, these were about my best efforts.

Terrible shots, but they were quite distant and didn't hang around

The 2nd calendar year Shag was having a swim in the lee of the wooden jetty's stone breakwater.

There was a juvenile Mediterranean gull on No.2 outflow and a Rock Pipit along the sea wall, and that's about it.

Heysham skear low water 09:40 (MD)

Not a lot seen, but hampered by some heavy showers 

Great Crested Grebe 2

Eider c20 in a distant raft of mainly juvenile 

Little Egret 7

Only waders seen were Oystercatcher, Curlew, Redshank and Turnstone 

Wheatears returning

Southerly light wind. Sunny spells but rain by early evening 

Middleton Nature Reserve 

Ringing report from Alan:

A successful ringing session today resulted in 36 captures from just two nets set, all but three birds being juveniles.

Grasshopper Warbler 4

Sedge Warbler 4

Common Whitethroat 9

Garden Warbler 2

Willow Warbler 1

Chiffchaff 4

Reed Warbler 3

Blackcap 3

Robin 1

Great Tit 1

Blue Tit 1

Bullfinch 1

Wren 2

A 6 watt Heath trap was set overnight which produced over 65 moths of 24 species.

These shots from Janet:

Swift (shots this good of this fast flying species, are not easy (MD))

Sparrowhawk 

These next two from a couple of days ago

Cinnabar moth caterpillar on Ragwort.
This is how they obtain their toxins.

Common Blue butterfly and a bumblebee 

Heysham Nature Reserve (MD)

I went to see if I could see the Purple Hairstreak in the oak stand in the NW corner of the plateau. Yesterday Shaun reported a "possible Holly Blue". Holly Blues are not common here, but that's what I saw. Although it didn't fly high, unlike Shaun's tree top insect yesterday.

Male Holly Blue, compare underwing pattern with Janet's Common Blue above.

South Shore (MD)

I checked twice, once in the morning and again early evening 

Sandwich Tern 1 flew out along the shipping lane (morning rising tide)

Mediterranean gull  8 adult, 2 juvenile - evening check of beach next to wooden jetty. The juvenile were feeding on the seaward side of the outflow.

There were 6 adult (or possibly 3rd calendar year) preening on the rocks below the sea wall, while waiting for the tide to ebb. These are 3 of them with 3 Black-Headed gulls.

The two late arrivals were the white and green German and Netherlands darvic ringed birds.

This is the German bird. They were only managing to grab a small portion of the Sandmason worms by trapping them in the end of their tubes. It hardly seems worth the effort!

Starlings c200 now near the waterfall, mainly juvenile 

Willow Warbler 1 in the same brambles as the Starlings, I didn't manage a shot today, but it or another was here yesterday.

Willow Warbler 

Wheatear 2. One each near lighthouse and foreshore both morning and evening. Looked to be the same birds. This is the foreshore bird in the morning 

Wheatear 

In the evening the lighthouse bird was catching insects on the sea wall.

A possible lack of Otter/Crayfish explanation

NW wind, a showery start but mainly sunny after mid morning.

Report from Shaun:

Red Nab to Wooden Jetty 

Shag 1 2cy on wooden jetty

Mediterranean gull 23 - 12 adult/3cy and 9 juvenile on Red Nab plus 1 adult on beach next to, and a juvenile feeing on No.2 outflow.

Redshank 68

Turnstone 65

Grey Seal 1

Nature Park

Red Admiral 3

Peacock 2

Comma 2

Small Tortoiseshell 2

Common Blue 1

Gatekeeper 5

Meadow Brown 4

Speckled Wood 5

Large White 1

Dog walking track to HNR:

Green-veined White 2

Common Blue 6

Peacock 2

Red Admiral 1

Comma 2

Small Tortoiseshell 1

Meadow Brown abundant

Gatekeeper 55+

Speckled Wood 5

Heysham Nature Reserve:

Large White 1

Small White 2

Green-veined White 2

Common Blue 16

{a blue seen briefly in the canopy of the tall trees in the NE corner may have been Holly Blue?}

Peacock 2

Red Admiral 2

Comma 5

Small Tortoiseshell 2

Meadow Brown abundant

Gatekeeper c35

Ringlet 1 (very worn)

Speckled Wood 8

Small Skipper 4

Emperor Dragonfly 3

Brown Hawker 4

Middleton Nature Reserve 

These nice shots from Alan Wilson

This is a very interesting shot. I photographed a Heron here (NW corner of the main pond) last year with a gold coloured fish, and had presumed it was one of the Goldfish/Rudd hybrids, but this high resolution shot from Alan shows this fish to be a small Tench. I didn't know that there were Tench in this pond (MD), but it may explain the apparent reduction in the Signal Crayfish (there has been no evidence, so far this year, of Otters feeding on the Crayfish). Tench are bottom feeders, and although they wouldn't worry a mature Crayfish, they will happily eat the fry. We'll see.

Gatekeepers

Common Blue 

A nice sequence of Green-Veined Whites

I just had a look along the south wall in the afternoon, there were 9 adult and 3 juvenile Mediterranean gulls on the sea out from the harbour, almost certainly some of Shaun's from earlier. This clip shows one adult and two juvenile.

And, continuing today's fish theme, this is one of Red Nab rock pools. These are small Grey Mullet.